Blogs and Commentary

Lock Haven's Women Are Prepared for
Success

With so many games at this time of year, it’s easy to
overlook certain scores and results. But one score that
shouldn’t go unnoticed is Lock Haven’s 17-11 win at
C.W. Post on Sunday. This was a clash of two Division II
women’s titans – legitimate title contenders who could
give two-time defending champion Adelphi a run for its money in
May. LHU’s resounding road win, which catapulted the Lady
Eagles from fourth to second in this week’s national poll,
clearly establishes them as the top challenger.

Fueled by a five-goal run midway through the second half, Lock
Haven outscored Post 10-4 in the final 30 minutes to take down last
year’s national runner-up. Senior Jamie Uzialko paced the way
with five goals, while senior Allison Berger and junior Elyse
Fisher keyed the decisive run with two goals each. LHU outshot the
Pioneers 29-24, and controlled 19 of 30 draws.

And while the six-goal margin in Sunday’s game may have
surprised some, one person who probably wasn’t caught
off-guard is LHU’s head coach Kristen Selvage. Now in her
10th season at her alma mater, she has established perhaps Division
II’s best program this side of Adelphi. With back-to-back
PSAC titles the past two seasons as well as three trips to the
final four since 2007, there’s just one thing left for the
Eagles to do. Win it all. And unlike many coaches, Selvage
isn’t shy about saying just that.

When I spoke to her last fall, she candidly admitted that she
thought her team had both the talent and motivation to reach the
mountain top. Never mind that the program had just graduated
all-time leading scorer Leigh Titus, or had to settle on a new
starter in goal. Selvage wasn’t concerned.

“There’s not that much that I’m worried
about,” she said. “We’re prepared for
success.”

With a dominating 5-0 start, the Eagles could easily push that mark
to 10-0 before heading into three straight in early April against
the top conference contenders – Gannon, Mercyhurst and West
Chester - all currently ranked in the top ten. After that,
it’s a showdown with No. 3 ranked Limestone, then the PSAC
Tournament to close out the month.

Once that gauntlet has been completed, the Eagles will set their
sights on the NCAA prize they have been eyeing since the fall.

“That’s our entire motivation,” said Selvage.
“That’s the backbone of it all.”